Just recently my Twitter feed has been hi-jacked by a nasty little phenomena: restaurants re-tweeting positive messages from their patrons. Ok, it’s not a hangable crime and it’s certainly not harming anyone but it’s beginning to grate on me. Testimonials are all well and good but Twitter is not the place for them. It makes the restaurants who do it (and here I won’t name names) look mindlessly self-interested. Re-tweet a review, by all means, but I really don’t care that someone whom i’ve never met gushed with praised after eating your fillet mignon. If i’m following you on Twitter already, chances are I already like your food too.
So what should restaurants be using Twitter for? Well here’s a few thoughts for starters:
- In truth a number of restaurants are already using Twitter for customer service (i’ve previously blogged about it here) and it makes sense that if someone has a complaint or query about a restaurant that the restaurant use Twitter to respond in a timely manner.
- Either by observing pre-existing buzz on Twitter or by actively asking for input, restaurants can make use of Twitter as an R&D tool to improve their menu, service or dining experience.
- Communicating deals and offers (e.g. early bird specials) via Twitter is a natural fit. Marketing, especially where the message is time-sensitive fits with the real-time nature of Twitter, just don’t use Twitter solely as avehicle for marketing promotions!
- Many restaurants can also benefit from the way their clientele treat dining out as part of their lifestyle. Twitter can support this through increased customer experience, providing news about life at the restaurant, e.g. trying to source a new local beef producer, updates about the restaurant’s commitment to sustainability amd so on.
So please, restaurateurs, stop re-tweeting vacuous praise and start leveraging the oppportunities Twitter has to offer!
